Tag / White Sox

by admin

FB2: Week 23

FB2_Week23My consecutive days over goal streak has now reached 30 days, with a so-so week saved by a top 25 day on Saturday.  Things got off to a decent enough start on Sunday, thanks to a morning walk in the neighborhood followed by Danny’s graduation party.  Monday was Independence Day and another early walk around town helped me surpass my daily goal.  Tuesday was back to work and the return of the afternoon coffee run.  Wednesday was the weak link of the week, finishing a mere 54 steps above my 6000 goal.  Things bounced back a bit on Thursday and Friday, as both days approached 7000 steps.  Saturday was the big day of the week, as the White Sox victory over the Braves was followed by a trip downtown for Taste of Chicago with Hayley, resulting in close to 14,000 steps.

Total steps: 53,974

Daily average: 7710.6

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2016 All Star Break Standings

baseballs2As the baseball world turns its sights to San Diego for tomorrow night’s All Star Game, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 18 games I attended in the first half of the baseball season, a mish-mash of excitement, followed by disappointment, giving way to uncertainty about what the second half will hold.

2016 Team Records
TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
Los Angeles Angels 1 0 1.000
Chicago Cubs 1 0 1.000
Boston Red Sox 1 0 1.000
Kansas City Royals 3 1 0.750
Cleveland Indians 2 1 0.667
Toronto Blue Jays 1 1 0.500
Atlanta Braves 1 1 0.500
Chicago White Sox 8 9 0.471
Texas Rangers 0 2 0.000
Minnesota Twins 0 2 0.000
Cincinnati Reds 0 1 0.000
by jim

All Stars

13641138_10155133635628298_1460960993873466313_oMinutes before today’s game against the Braves, the White Sox announced that Jose Quintana will join fellow starter Chris Sale in San Diego for Tuesday’s All Star game, replacing Danny Salazar, who is suffering with a sore right elbow.  Quintana will be making his first All Star appearance, and will be the third Colombian to appear in the Mid Summer Classic.

Third baseman Todd Frazier, who won the home run derby last year as a member of the Reds, will get the chance to defend his title despite not being named to the team.

On the other side of town, Dexter Fowler, voted in to start for the National League, will miss the game due to injury.  He is currently on a rehab assignment in Class A and hopes to return in the next 2 weeks.

by admin

#79 – Julio Franco

jfrancoName: Julio Franco

Rank: 79

Position: DH

Year With White Sox: 1994

Following the 1993 season, Julio Franco signed with the White Sox as a free agent, as the team looked to head to the playoffs for the second consecutive season.  As the White Sox sat atop the newly created AL Central, Franco had one of the best seasons of his career, setting career highs with 20 home runs and 98 RBIs when the season ended prematurely on August 11th due to the strike.  After the season was officially cancelled on September 14th, Franco earned 8th place in MVP voting and took home the Silver Slugger award.  With the work stoppage spilling in to 1995, Franco signed to play in Japan, ending his tenure with the White Sox.

Franco’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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#80 – Miguel Olivo

olivoName: Miguel Olivo

Rank: 80

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 2002-2004

Miguel Olivo was acquired by the White Sox as the player to be named later in the deal that sent Chad Bradford to the A’s in December of 2000.  He made his major league debut on September 15, 2002, hitting a home run in his first at bat against Andy Pettite in the Yankees 8-4 victory.  He appeared in 5 additional games that month, finishing with a .211 average.

Olivo broke camp with the White Sox in 2003, splitting time behind the plate with Sandy Alomar Jr.  He upped his average to .237 with 6 home runs but only 27 RBIs.  Things were starting to look up in 2004, as Olivo raised his average to .270 and an OPS of .812 in 46 games, before the June 27th trade that sent him, along with Mike Morse and Jeremy Reed, to the Mariners for Ben Davis and Freddy Garcia.

Olivo’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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FB2: Week 22

FB2_Week22Despite putting up my lowest weekly total in 10 weeks, I did manage to keep my streak of days above goal alive for the week, reaching 23 days.  Things got off to a decent start on Sunday, with Michael and I heading down to US Cellular Field to watch the White Sox successfully battle the Blue Jays.  The work week got off to a slow start, with Monday and Tuesday just managing to squeak past 6000 steps due to the lack of an afternoon coffee run.  Things improved on Wednesday and Thursday, as I was able to leave work earlier and managed to throw in an after-work walk around the neighborhood.  Friday was another squeaker, despite a trip down to Abt after work to get Hayley set up with a US-based cellphone.  Saturday was a big day, as Hayley and I headed down to Naperville for Ribfest, featuring a performance from Sheryl Crow, leading to my only 10,000 step day of the week.

Total steps: 51,053

Daily average: 7293.3

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#81 – Geoff Blum

geoff-blum

Name: Geoff Blum

Rank: 81

Position: 1B/3B

Year With White Sox: 2005

Acquired at the trade deadline from the Padres in 2005, Geoff Blum made little impact for the White Sox during the regular season, hitting an even .200 in 31 games.  He went 0-1 during his sole ALDS appearance, pinch hitting in the Game 1 blowout against the Red Sox.

Blum sat on the bench until the 14th inning of Game 3 of the World Series, when he pinch hit for Bobby Jenks.  On a 2-0 count, Blum pulled the next pitch from Ezequiel Astacio into the right field stands, giving the White Sox a 6-5 lead.  Later that day, the White Sox clinched their first World Series title in 88 years.  4 days later, Blum became a free agent.

Blum’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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#82 – John Cangelosi

cangelosiName: John Cangelosi

Rank: 82

Position: OF

Year With White Sox: 1985-1986

John Cangelosi was selected by the White Sox in the 4th round of the 1982 January draft.  He made his major league debut on June 30, 1985, going 0-2 in the White Sox 4-3 loss to the Twins at Comiskey Park.  He appeared in 4 more games during the 1985 seasons, earning 1 additional plate appearance.

In 1986, Cangelosi surprised everyone by earning the center fielder job in spring training, beating out Rudy Law and Daryl Boston.  He finished the year with a .235 batting average, but set an American League rookie record with 50 stolen bases.

The following spring, Cangelosi did not repeat his impressive performance and, on March 27, he was traded to the Pirates for Jim Winn.  He returned to the organization on a minor league deal in 1991, but was traded to the Brewers for Esteban Beltre less than 2 months later.

Cangelosi’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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by admin

FB2: Week 21

FB2_Week21Another good week, as I extended my streak of consecutive days above goal to 16 days, with two days finishing above 10,000 steps.  The week got off to a slowish start on Sunday, as Father’s Day celebrations left me just barely over the daily goal.  Monday was once again a squeaker, with Tuesday and Wednesday bouncing back to normal levels.  Things really kicked off on Thursday, thanks to trips to the airport and then downtown with Val and Hayley.  Friday was another close call, and then Saturday was another good day thanks to a White Sox game followed by more Hayley fun in the city, including dinner at Weber Grill.

Total steps: 56,795

Daily average: 8113.6

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#83 – Tom Gordon

Name: Tom Gordon

Rank: 83

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2003

Tom Gordon signed with the White Sox as a free agent on January 23, 2003, hoping to shore up a bullpen that was left barren after the trade for Bartolo Colon.  Gordon posted a 7-6 record with 12 saves and a 3.16 ERA in 66 relief appearances, leading all White Sox relievers in wins and saves.

He also ranked second among all American League relief pitchers with 91 strikeouts in 74.0 innings pitched.  The highlight of his season came on July 12, when he earned his 100th career save against the Indians, becoming just the 14th pitcher in Major League history to record 100 saves and 100 wins in his career.  Following the season, Gordon became a free agent, ending his White Sox career.

Gordon’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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